Hired and paid, rather well we understand, to do something, the particularities of which:

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Andrew knows nothing about at all.

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Think of him as a contemporary politician.

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Andrew broke into racing;

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Can that possibly be the correct phrase to describe what happened?

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By writing a book called “Picking winners,” which is, at a minimum, comedic, as:

Our Andrew can neither write, nor pick winners.

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Again, the quintessential Washington man.

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As point of reference, our Andrew bet against Secretariat, Seattle Slew, Affirmed and Spectacular Bid, to cover the high points of the 1970’s alone.

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To our best recollection, our Andrew has, never, ever, bet on a winning Derby horse that he has endorsed in his little newspaper column.

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EVER.

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In his book, Andrew makes the classic, and sad mistake, of attempting to reduce our dazzling enterprise called racing to:

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An arithmetical exercise!!

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How dismal, Andrew!!

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Racing is about, beauty, power, blood lines and luck, and never about arithmetic.

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Of course Andrew is a Washington man and of course, his little arithmetic equations are now adopted, you guessed it, wholesale, as Scripture, into the lexicon and newspapers of the racing business, in which horses are assigned this mind-numbing calculation:

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A Beyer Speed Figure!!

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A number that, by justice, ought to eliminate the highest Beyer number from any and all consideration.

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Selecting winning horses, as with many other enterprises, is a process of elimination:

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Hence:

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The Kentucky Derby is affirmation for one horse, brought on by the elimination of the other horses in the race.

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That’s it:

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That’s all there is to it all.

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As we know in the clubhouse far better here than do most, that, as government ought not be run as a business, as government is not and has never been intended to be a business but rather a necessary evil, arithmetic has no place in racing which is about:

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Beauty.

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Today we were to the doctor, lovely girl, Polish, and of course, Catholic, who grew up in Warsaw under the Communists, who said to us:

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“John Begg, everybody knows that Herrenfrau Clinton will win the Presidency in 2016.”

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We are old softies here, in our clubhouse, for pretty girls, so, we didn’t laugh, we simply said:

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“OH!!

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Doctor dearest, we’ve heard that tune, it was popular when you were a young girl in Poland in 2006 and 2007.

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The tune was released back then as:

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“The Inevitability of Hillary 2008.”

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The tune had a catchy toe tap to it, but the story line, somehow just didn’t work out.

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So sorry, love.”

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As with our Andrew’s ham handed attempts to reduce the beauty of our sparkling sport of racing to arithmetic, there are many in this, not pretty city, who would reduce politics to number counts and arithmetic as well, unaware that:

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Politics is most appropriately about having startlingly good ideas and about making direct appeals to:

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Raw emotion.

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Yes, we said:

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Appeals to raw EMOTION.

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Shortly, you, my dears will have our Andrew’s note about the Inevitability of his Derby winner for 2015.

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Then, we will all know for certain, as, if our Andrew picks poor Mubtaahij, the horse will be either struck in the head by lightning just after leaving starter’s gate, or drop poor

Frenchman Christophe Soumillion, a really world class lad, over the fence on Clubhouse Turn, or snap one, or both, forelegs, or, run a good, solid 19th all the way round.

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It is our concomitant custom here to pick a number of back up possibilities to militate against Andrew Beyer’s picking our horse and, in so doing, destroying our horse’s chances at Derby Roses, but Beyer simply hasn’t the requisite creative imagination necessary to pick a Mohammedan race horse, so that mitigates against the need to have a reserve horse to fall stall the harrowing calamity a Beyer pick might bring our Mubtaahij.

Well before we were born a nation, the English Dar~by is imitative of the English version of doing things.

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Here, Her Majesty, appears keen on taking some flyers at Epson, home of the English Dar~by, with quite a good deal of seriousness.

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Bravo, Mam!!

Shades of purple seemed the order of the day at the 2014 English Dar~By for both the winning jockey and Queen Herself.

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Called, appropriately, The Sport of Kings, horse racing in America, and for that matter in England, is nevertheless dominated on the one end by very poor men with holes in their soles, who support the business on the gray days of winter and on through the year. At the high-end, by the silk hat crowd, who, in America and England, come out for the big dances–most notably:

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The senior prom.

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The big dance.

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The one that counts.

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The Kentucky Derby here and the Epson Dar~by over the water.

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On first Saturday, May, deep within the American middle orders, men of modest ambition and riches, and yet, far, far, worse taste in suits than their English cousins, succumb to Derby fever and to:

The Kentucky Derby is rich in tradition and can be considered one of our nation’s greatest sporting events. So great, in fact, several of our nation’s Presidents have attended the Derby, one while in office. The Derby ties run even deeper when we examine details of those Presidential race fans visits. Here are some facts about our Commanders in Chief you might not know:

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Harry Truman.

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Kentucky Governor Earle Clements invited the President to attend the 75th running of the Derby in 1949. In a letter declining the invitation, Truman stated that he would like to attend “another Kentucky Derby” someday, because it was a spectacle he had enjoyed in the past. (Truman Library, President’s Personal File (PPF) 3550)

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In a letter to a Kentucky friend, Truman pays tribute to the Derby as one of several great Kentucky traditions, although he does not mention attending the event. (Truman Library, President’s Personal File (PPF) 2575)

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A pair of “Kentucky Derby cups” were presented to the President and the First Lady around March of 1952. (Truman Library, President’s Personal File (PPF) 9-G)

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Lyndon Johnson

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Senator Lyndon Johnson described his visit to the 1952 Kentucky Derby as “my day off”. (Louisville Courier-Journal, 5/4/1952)

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Johnson in 1952: As Senator attending the Derby, he was said to be “uncommunicative” saying “I’m not talking. This is my day off.” (1993 Kentucky Derby Souvenir Magazine)

When Nixon attended in 1969, it was not immediately known whether or not he placed a bet on a horse. He said he would “take the California horse” (Courier-Journal, 5/4/1969)

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Nixon in 1969: He said, “I’m going to savor this race, Kentucky style” when asked whether or not he would try a mint julep. His usual drink was Scotch and soda. (Courier-Journal, 5/4/1969)

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Nixon in 1969: He watched the sixth race on Derby Day with California Governor Ronald Reagan. (Courier-Journal, 5/4/1969)

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Nixon in 1969: There are conflicting reports as to whether or not Nixon actually bet. In 1978, John V. Brennan, assistant to Nixon, claimed someone else placed a bet on Majestic Prince and gave the ticket to Nixon. (1993 Kentucky Derby Souvenir Magazine)

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Nixon in 1969: “Security was tight from the spires on down to the tulip beds and over in the barn area. Secret Service men, whose serious mien was indistinguishable from that of the normal race track player, inconspicuously infiltrated Churchill Downs long before Richard Nixon became the first President of the United States to witness the Kentucky Derby. Louisville police, Kentucky state police, National Guard troops, Churchill Downs security guards, and Thoroughbred Racing Protective Bureau agents co-ordinated security efforts with walkie-talkies to insure protection, not only of the President, but of the Republican governors whose spring conference in Lexington was concluded the day before the Kentucky Derby.” (Jim Bolus, Derby Fever)

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Gerald Ford

Gerald Ford has attended more Derbys than any former president with his wife, Betty. He stated that Genuine Risk was his favorite Derby winner. In 1989, said “We’ve always been thrilled with the excitement of the Kentucky Derby. It is one of the great American sporting events.” (1993 Kentucky Derby Souvenir Magazine)

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Jimmy Carter

Carter in 1983: spent a lot of time with Kentucky breeder Tom Gentry. On Derby Day, Gentry lost Laffit Pincay, Jr. as the rider for Flag Admiral in the fourth race. Carter accompanied Gentry to the jockeys’ room to find a replacement rider. Apparently, Carter impressed many in the jocks’ room with his command of Spanish. (1993 Souvenir Magazine)

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Carter in 1983: apparently had placed a bet on Flag Admiral on Derby Day. The colt ran in the Preakness two weeks later with Carter as part owner. Apparently, Carter stipulated that any financial gain from the investment go the Carter Library in Atlanta. (1993 Souvenir Magazine)

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George H.W. Bush

George H.W. Bush attended the Derby in 1993, 1995 and 2000. In 1995, he bet on two horses for the Derby but kept his picks to himself. (Lexington Herald-Leader, 5/7/1995)

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George H.W. Bush in 1993: wore a red, white and blue tie with stars, stripes and a Texas longhorn. His pick for the race was Personal Hope because the owners, Lee and Debi Lewis, were from Lubbock, Texas. (Personal Hope finished 4th.) Bush presented the trophy for the Churchill Downs Handicap. (Blood-Horse, 5/8/1993)

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George H.W. Bush in 1993: Apparently had been betting and losing all day but said he would “…make it all back in the Derby.” He didn’t, as he bet on Union City, which finished 15th. (Jim Bolus, Derby Fever)

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George H.W. Bush in 2000: Won big by betting on his friend Will Farish’s horse, Secret Status, in the Oaks; declined to say whether or not he placed a Derby bet saying “Don’t ask, don’t tell”. (The Courier-Journal, 5/7/2000)

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Bill Clinton

Clinton in 1994: Clinton never attended but was the first president to call and congratulate the winner of the Derby (Go for Gin, 1994). (Jim Bolus, Derby Fever)

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George W. Bush

George W. Bush in 2000: Attended as Texas governor; appeared in the paddock and made a presentation in the winner’s circle; dined in the Skye Terrace with his father, former president George H.W. Bush; said to press “I don’t think I’ll be wagering too much. This is a great day. It’s a spectacle.” (The Blood Horse, 5/13/2000)

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George W. Bush in 2000: “I’m really glad I came. The energy of the crowd is magnificent, the horses are beautiful. It’s a fantastic experience.” (Thoroughbred Times, 5/13/2000)

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George W. Bush in 2000: “I’m not a good bettor-I’m not against betting-I’m just against losing money, especially my own. You should have seen me 20 years ago. I would have been betting and drinking out here all day.” (Thoroughbred Times, 5/13/2000)

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George W. Bush in 2000: Said he did not bet, but if had it would have been on The Deputy, which was “an interesting story”. (The Courier-Journal, 5/7/2000)

Let us pray that it be God’s will that all who race and ride be spared the violent savagery that can, and does, attend this most beautiful of God’s Sports, even as many others have not been so spared in the going of :

The rich man ought not be taxed at all~~he ought be compelled to employ and train the poor man~~directly~~personally.

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The principal need in America today is~~financial and industrial De-Globalization~~to facilitate the promotion of the possibility for the average man to get and keep a good job with good benefits paid by the employer~~as was done not very long ago.~~

~~Bene Nati, Bene Vestiti, Et Mediocriter Docti~~

~

~~La crema y nata~~

~

~~Artista de la conquista

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In sunshine and in shadow~~I hold tight to the Republican view of time and money~~I write night and day~~yet~~while impecunious~~I am vastly overpaid~~in that taking pay to do what I love is unfair~~to my employer~~in a fair system~~under such circumstances~~I should pay him~~not he me~~I am far, far too old a man to be sexually confused~~praise Jesus~~but I am yet young enough to be politically confused~~is anyone not~~in an absolute sense~~I am a Catholic Royalist~~in a practical sense~~I am a Classical Liberal~~a Gaullist~~a Bonapartist~~an American Nationalist Republican~~in either sense~~my head is soon for the chopping block~~to hasten my interlude with Madame La Guillotine~~I write without fear~and without favor of~any man.

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Finis Origine Pendet…

The escape commences…

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September, 1957

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Saint Jane Frances de Chantal Catholic parochial school, called, by anyone of any background, simply: “Chan~al,” a place where, of an autumn day in 1957, school, for me, began and ended in the first convening of the first grade in which a tiny nun, one Sister Dom Bosco, appeared before me, just behind the window appearing at far left of this photograph, and piped out this: “I may be small, but so then, is the Atom Bomb.”

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My determination to escape school commenced immediately on hearing about this Atom Bomb business and took 16 dicey and arduous years to finally accomplish.~~

“Jean-Marie Le Pen is a friend. He is dangerous for the political set because he’s the only one who’s sincere. He says out loud what many people think deep down, and what the politicians refrain from saying because they are either too demagogic or too chicken. Le Pen, with all his faults and qualities, is probably the only one who thinks about the interests of France before his own.”~~